


Almost Perfect

by Laylah



Category: Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Genre: Botany, Exploration, Other, Tentacles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-27
Updated: 2010-05-27
Packaged: 2017-10-09 18:06:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/90107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laylah/pseuds/Laylah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's soft and sort of fuzzy-feeling, squeezing his arm gently in a slow, rhythmic grip as it moves. Even back when Earth was okay, Edge doesn't think it had anything like this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Almost Perfect

It's possible Aeos isn't perfect -- on a really perfect planet, probably there wouldn't be bugs that are taller than he is -- but Edge honestly doesn't think the difference is enough to be worth complaining about. The air is clean and fresh, the sky is an amazing shade of blue, and there are more plants than Edge has ever seen in his life. It's a planet that's in really good shape, like Earth must have been when it was younger.

He goes out for walks in the afternoon sometimes; it's getting easier to avoid the bugs, with some practice, and maybe the bugs are learning to avoid people, too -- or maybe the aggressive ones are dying out as a result of attacking people who can fight back. Whatever the reason, it's getting easier to just enjoy Aeos for what it is. Edge has been exploring further from the base, wandering through the jungles and the caves, just to see what's there. None of the video he watched as kid on Earth prepared him for the feel of the damp jungle air, or the smell of sweet flowers and crisp green growth and slowly rotting wet leaves. It's so _lush_, so abundant. He feels a little silly, but it makes his heart swell, makes him glad to be alive.

And then there's the afternoon when he finds the waterfall, and the little hollow that it empties into. He's coming up through a winding path between the rocks, and when he makes a turn near the peak of a little hill space opens out in front of him, the huge leafy jungle plants crowding around the edges of an open pool of shining, clear water. There's a flat rock ledge on the far side with a vine-laden tree bowing over it, and beside that the spill of water from further upland. It splashes and churns, noisy where it hits the pool, and little rainbows shimmer in the spray. For a second Edge feels like he can barely breathe, because it's just so beautiful.

As soon as he gets over being stunned, though, he starts looking for a clear path down from his vantage point to the edge of the water. The ground is soft, dark and springy, crumbling just a little under his boots as he climbs down. He tugs one glove off and reaches down into the water. It's chilly, but not as cold as he'd feared it might be, and the water ripples around his hand.

He peers out across the pool, trying to figure out how deep it gets. He _can_ swim, in theory -- all of the exploration team got some lessons in a simulator, in case it came up on a mission -- but he's not sure he trusts his skill that much. Still, if he sticks to the edges of the pool he should be fine, right? The idea that there's so much fresh water here that he could just submerge himself in it is kind of awesome. Edge strips out of his clothes carefully, piling them on the bank with his sword on top. There's a little getting-away-with-things thrill to this, he thinks.

The water feels a _lot_ colder when he slides into it, and he shivers a little, goosebumps rising on his skin, his nipples stiffening and his balls drawing up toward his body -- but he doesn't get out right away. Maybe he just needs to get used to it. He takes a cautious step further into the pool, feeling slippery, smooth rocks under his feet. The simulator tries to mimic the sensation of having water take most of his weight, but the real thing is still a little different. Edge wades out a few more steps, feeling the drag against his limbs. He pushes off with both feet and there's a second where that's terrifying, but he leans back and tries not to panic and it works, he floats. Like this, on his back and looking up, he can just see the fronds of the nearest trees out of the corners of his eyes. Tiny wisps of white cloud drift across the bright blue sky overhead.

He floats for a while, enjoying the luxury of doing nothing -- there wasn't a lot of time for that back on Earth, with everything such a mess. And they still have a lot to do now, too, of course, but he's learning to let himself have at least a little bit of time off. Eventually, though, the chill of the water does start to bother him. Edge rolls over in the water and gets his feet under himself. It turns out the water's only about chest high, even in the middle of the pool.

Instead of heading back, he wades all the way to the far side, climbing out onto the broad, flat rock that juts over the water. He's pretty sure he should be able to identify the kind of rock it is, knows he had plenty of classes in that stuff before they set out, but really he's only interested in one of its qualities right now -- it's baked warm from the sun, and stretching out on it feels great. The big tree growing next to the rock even curves back at a perfect angle for leaning against.

Edge closes his eyes and just basks there, soaking up the warmth. He lets his fingertips play over his skin, sliding downward. Might as well enjoy the chance to relax while he has it, right? One hand slides down further, cupping his balls, and the other splays across his chest. Crowe teases him sometimes about how sensitive his nipples are -- _I swear, you get even more worked up than Reimi_ \-- but Edge tries not to let that get to him. Having more ways to feel good is a good thing, right?

He drags his thumbnail across one nipple, and the little jolt of pleasure makes him shiver. He does it again, cradling his balls in his other hand and stroking slowly. His cock thickens, stiffening against his stomach, but he doesn't touch it yet. Leisure, right? He wants to take his time, draw it out a little, let --

Something rustles in the tree overhead, and Edge's eyes snap open. This would be a _terrible_ time to get ambushed by overgrown beetles.

It doesn't look like there's anything there, though. One of the vines draped over the tree's branches is swaying a little bit, like something just passed through, but Edge can't see anything that could have caused it.

"Hello?" he says, just in case, but nothing answers.

He takes a few deep breaths to let his nerves settle. Probably it would be smart to head back soon. He's sort of pushing his luck, this far from the base, alone. It's been such a nice afternoon, though -- a few more minutes couldn't hurt, right?

Edge leans back against the tree, trying to pick back up where he left off. It doesn't take much to remind his body what they were up to -- he pinches his nipples, rolls them between his fingers, and he's aching hard in no time. Making himself wait isn't quite the same as somebody else slowing him down, but it still feels good.

The rustling sound comes again. Edge opens his eyes to find one of the vines trailing down beside him, swaying a little. He looks up to see if he can catch whatever did it this time, but there's still nothing up there but the tangle of vines.

And then the one that had fallen starts to slide up his leg. "Whoa," Edge says, flinching back from it in a hurry. It's _alive_? Well. Of course it is. But -- _moving_, coiling across the rock like it's trying to find him again. Edge watches it in fascination.

After a minute he reaches out slowly to touch it. The vine shudders at his touch and coils up toward him. Edge doesn't move, and the vine curls around his hand, twining up his arm. It's soft and sort of fuzzy-feeling, squeezing his arm gently in a slow, rhythmic grip as it moves. Even back when Earth was okay, Edge doesn't think it had anything like this.

He pets the tendril a little with his free hand and it squirms, changing colors -- the base color is rich green, but the fuzzy little feelers flush deep pink where he touches it. "Wow," Edge says softly.

There's rustling from the tree and more vines come snaking down the join the first. Investigating him, Edge thinks, even though it seems incredible to picture a plant being able to do that. He holds still as they slide over his bare skin, and maybe it's just that he was already indulging himself, but it feels sort of strangely good. They all move with that same kind of rhythmic pressure, and it feels like suddenly Edge has all kinds of sensitive spots he didn't know about -- the inside of his arm, the back of his knee, the small of his back. He twists in the tangle of vines, squirming, but there are a lot of them by now and he's probably not going anywhere without a fight. They haven't hurt him, though -- it feels more like they're...curious, maybe?

When one of the vines coils its way across his chest, rubbing against his already sensitive nipples, he feels -- well, okay, a little embarrassed that he's getting turned on by alien plant life, but only a little, because it actually feels really good. By now it feels like the vines are taking most of his weight, like he's barely touching the rock at all -- mostly he's just being held up in a cradle made from twisting vines. He looks down in time to see one of them slither up between his thighs, and then it's winding its way around his cock and he moans.

The vine wraps around his cock and balls in a tight, looping coil that would be enough to keep him hard all by itself. When it reaches the tip, it probes there slowly, pushing against the slit, and Edge tenses, pulling back as much as he can -- the vine is nearly as thick as his cock, once it gets past the sensing tip. There's no way it'd fit in there. Either it responds to his panic or it doesn't find what it's looking for, though, because it eases back, just stays wrapped around his cock without trying to actually push into it.

"Oh man," Edge says, because that _did_ sort of make it clear what a helpless position he's gotten himself into. Maybe he could break some of the vines if he tried, even though his leverage isn't very good, and maybe if he did that the rest of them would let go to keep from getting hurt, but that's a lot of maybes. And the vines are definitely still looking for something, covering more and more of his skin, rubbing and pushing everywhere. He has to drop his head to keep one of them from curling around his neck, and that makes it brush across his face instead, pausing when it reaches his mouth. It traces his lips slowly, and Edge holds very still. If the vines are trying to find a way to get inside him --

It pulls back, and for a second Edge is confused, more than anything. He thought he'd figured out what was going on here. Then another vine coils down from the tree -- thicker than the others, with a huge, tight-twisted bud at the end of it. The bud starts to open when it gets close to him, deep pink petals unfurling around a cluster of golden, dripping stalks -- stamens, or pistils, Edge can't remember which is which. Botany was Reimi's specialty.

The opened flower sways closer, and the scent of it makes Edge a little dizzy. A drop of its liquid drips from the stalks to his lips. He licks it away without really thinking about it. The stuff tastes sweet and strange. The first few stalks rub against his lips, and the vines wrapped around his entire body squeeze. Edge moans at the pressure that puts on his cock, and the stalks of the flower fill his mouth.

They're not very thick individually, but there are something like a dozen of them, and by the time they've all worked their way in his mouth is stretched wide. They rub against his tongue and the roof of his mouth, and Edge swallows more nectar. He can feel it dripping down his chin, too, running wet down his skin. The vines that hold him captive don't stop moving, rubbing and squeezing him all over. One of them slides through the crack of his ass, the texture almost unbearably intense against the skin there. It pulses there for a minute and then another one slips up beside it, squirming. They draw tight, pulling to either side and spreading the cheeks of his ass.

The petals of the first flower block most of his vision, but he can still just barely see that there's a second one descending from the tree's branches now. He shudders, but he's not sorry when it disappears out of sight behind him. He's already feeling so _much_. The petals brush against his ass, opening, and then there are slick, dripping stalks pressing against his asshole. Edge moans around his mouthful and tries to relax. He's pretty sure he couldn't stop this if he wanted to. All he can do is take it, cooperate and make it easier on himself as the stalks get stuffed up his ass, one after another. They're a lot to take, all together, stretching him wider than a man's cock would, squirming and thrusting inside him.

His cock is as hard as it's ever been, thanks to the vine pulsing around it, but the way it traps his balls he doesn't think he can come, either. He's trapped like this, his mouth and his ass stuffed full and dripping with sweet fluid, his cock and his nipples rubbed and stroked relentlessly, his balls aching with a need he can't satisfy. It feels like his entire body has become overwhelmingly sensitive, like every movement of the vines holding him makes him more aroused. He squirms, pulling against their grip, wishing they'd loosen just enough to let him come even though he's afraid he wouldn't be able to stand it if he did and they kept going. He can't just -- just _stay_ like this, can he? Something has to give.

He feels it in his mouth first, a change in the way the stalks move -- they stop thrusting so much and just spread out, pressing against his tongue and his cheeks. Something's pushing them, spreading them, something _else_ sliding up into the middle of them. Edge's jaw stretches so wide it aches, and then he feels the same relentless pressure in his asshole, stretching him even wider. These new additions are smooth and hard, and they push deeper than the stalks around them, gliding on the flowers' nectar to ease their way as they work themselves into Edge from both ends. The one in his mouth reaches the back of his throat and he chokes, struggling, but there's nowhere he can go, trembling in the vines' grip -- and then _they're_ shuddering, the whole plant convulsing at once, gripping him almost painfully tight for a few seconds before it begins to withdraw.

The vines uncoil, releasing his limbs, releasing his cock. The flowers shiver, stalks and petals withdrawing, leaving those hard central cores still in his mouth and ass. As soon as his hands are free Edge takes hold of his cock, stroking fast and hard, and he's coming even before the last vine uncoils from his ankle -- bent double, shaking with the intensity of it, sobbing with relief.

He spits out the thing the plant left in his mouth, letting it fall to the rock. It looks like...a seed, he thinks, sleek and dark, shining wet. He reaches back for the one up his ass. His fingers slip on all the nectar the plant left behind, and he gets it out more by clenching his muscles and pushing than anything else. He aches, but the emptiness feels strange, too, after being so incredibly full. When he touches his asshole experimentally, he finds he can slip his fingers in with no resistance at all. Edge shivers.

When he's recovered enough to finish a thought, he realizes he's grateful for the pool of clean water between him and his clothes. The nectar's getting sticky as it dries on his skin, and it seems likely that the smell would be enticing to the local wildlife. He's pretty sure he doesn't want to get in any fights he can avoid right now.

Still, when he thinks about it, he's not sorry he came out here exploring. He looks up at the tree, at the coil of vines that hang motionless in the branches. It may have been overwhelming -- may have been almost too much -- but it was definitely an adventure. He'll make sure to keep track of the landmarks on his way back to the base, so he could get back here if he needed to.

And he'll take the seeds, too, he decides, reaching for them before he turns to ease himself into the pool. At the very least, they're probably worth studying, since it's a new form of life. And beyond that -- Edge slips into the water, gasping at the welcome chill. Beyond that, who knows?


End file.
